This statement highlights key findings from the GAO December 2012 report that describes needed improvements in the reliability of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA's) reported medical appointment wait times, scheduling oversight, and VHA initiatives to improve access to timely medical appointments.

Ferida Wolff writes: Who would have thought that hair could be so opinionated? It used to be reasonable, letting me do pretty much what I wanted with it. But then I guess we change in many ways as we age. Ideas we held in our twenties shift with experience and perspective. Foods we loved as teens often become indigestible later on (gluten sensitivity and lactose intolerance have become watchwords for a more mature generation).

Fed Reserve Vice Chair Janet L. Yellen: As an objective of public policy, maximum employment doesn't appear in the US Constitution, in any presidential decree, or even in the mission statement of the Labor Department... the Federal Reserve is the only agency assigned the job of pursuing maximum employment. The gulf between maximum employment and the very difficult conditions workers face today helps explain the urgency behind the Federal Reserve's ongoing efforts to strengthen the recovery.

The Senate is scheduled to resume consideration of the WAVA measure on February 11. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), would authorize about $660 million annually for FY2014 through FY2018 for programs that address domestic and sexual violence in the US.

Roberta McReynolds writes: Once upon a time there was an imperial matriarch who reigned over the Kingdom of Chaos. The queen presided with a stubborn ferocity and insisted on fortifying her castle walls with buttresses of cardboard boxes bursting at the seams with mystifying collections. Here’s the plain truth: your 1942 phone bill is not a valuable antique. No one in your family wants to inherit it.

Julia Sneden writes: I recall that in each instance of our children’s disasters, I held up pretty well until we had gotten to the hospital. As soon as the doctor took over, however, I had to sit down quickly and put my head between my knees. Injuries to sons are not high on my list of good memories. Now that they are grown, I breathe a sigh of relief – or at least I did until I glanced at the youngest’s Facebook page the other day.

Tam Gray writes: A favorite museum of ours is the New York Historical Society. Their online shop is appealing and quite different. Products range from Tiffany-style lamps, to retro dresses and handbags based on their own spectacular Audubon collection, which is the largest single repository of Auduboniana in the world.

Retiring Senator Tom Harkin and Eleanor Holmes Norton introduced a bill to prohibit discrimination in the payment of wages on account of sex, race, or national origin, and for other purposes. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)/Read the first time (1/29/13)---A bill to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 entirely. Senators Patrick Leahy and Mike Crapo rging Senate support for their bill to renew and strengthen the Violence Against Women Act.

When the seed catalogs arrived in the mail, I handed them to Tommy. Instead of snatching them, he pointed to the coffee table. I dropped them there. Later, when I saw him stuff them, unopened, in the straw basket on the side of the couch, I asked, “Too much work?” “Yes” was the nod. I wondered: had the lapses in his brain that ended his speech, also turned his cherished pastime into something too complex.

Val Castronovo reviews: Matisse liked happy subjects and happy colors. His paintings are suffused with light and with bright, bold colors and exotic patterns derived from Islamic art (a favorite of his after visiting Morocco in 1912). He thought art should make you feel good, saying that he “dreamt of an art of balance and purity and serenity, devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter ... a mental soother ... like a good armchair.”

Editor's Note: Aside from my own home and the Time-Life Building across from Radio City Music Hall, Grand Central Station was the building I spent time in, going to and from my job It was familiar, imposing, welcoming and in the last analysis, spectacularly beautiful. It is said that more than 21,600,000 annual vistors come to the terminal making it the 6th most popular tourist destination in the world.

The Setup: An American man meets an alleged American woman through an online dating service. After a successful online courtship, the two agree to meet. However, before they do, she must travel overseas to attend to some important personal business. While out of the US, she befalls an unexpected tragedy. She is now feeling lonely and vulnerable, and is counting on him to help her through this difficult time .... Several US citizens report losing thousands of dollars through such scams.

Liz Flaherty writes: I never wanted to be a liberal. Truth be told, I never wanted to be political at all. It’s all Bobby Kennedy’s fault, because way back in the 1960s, he made me think all things were possible. For everybody.

In a unique series of six films debuting on PBS, the series combines history, biography, iconic performances, new analysis, and the passions of its hosts, actors Ethan Hawke, Jeremy Irons, Derek Jacobi, Trevor Nunn, Joely Richardson, and David Tennant.

Rose Madeline Mula writes: We never had to struggle to learn how to fold a fitted sheet, because we never had fitted sheets. You could buy a house for about one-third the price of today’s car; and you could buy a do-it-yourself home permanent for about a dollar. Unfortunately, you couldn’t leave the house for at least a month after doing-it-yourself for fear of frightening dogs and small children. 

Among women, 19 percent of those who reported pre-wedding doubts were divorced four years later, compared with 8 percent of those who did not report having doubts. For husbands, 14 percent who reported premarital doubts were divorced four years later, compared with 9 percent who did not report having doubts.

"You and I, as citizens, have the power to set this country’s course." Since 1901, the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies has been responsible for the planning and execution of the swearing-in ceremonies and the luncheon for the Inauguration of the President of the United States at the US Capitol. Additionally, the complete transcript of the inauguration speech delivered by President Obama.

Pinto chose 25 Museum garments and adornments, attracted by their form, texture, and colors. Fascinated by the range of materials people used, the pieces’ meticulous craftsmanship, and their sheer beauty, the designer and curator created the exhibit. Pinto then drew connections between these pieces and her own designs, seven of which are featured in the exhibition.

Doris O'Brien writes: Who can fault frightened people for blaming the metal instead of the mentality? The concept of a ban on a commodity as a way of preventing bad behavior is nothing new. In the 20s, Prohibition was enacted to do just that. A law was passed making the sale and use of liquor illegal. If we didn't have access to booze, the argument went, there wouldn't be so many drunken brawls, accidents, killings. But Prohibition failed.

Nurse practitioners, registered nurses with advanced degrees, are capable of providing primary-care services such as diagnosing and treating illnesses, prescribing medication, ordering tests and referring patients to specialists. But only 18 states and the District of Columbia currently allow nurse practitioners to perform these services independently of a doctor.

Reviewed by Jill Norgren: David Nasaw does not ask his readers to like Joe Kennedy. He does not hold back on the damning stories of deceit and unbridled ambition. He does, however, appear utterly convinced that Kennedy doted on his children — beyond needing them to fulfill his ambitions, and that they returned his love. Joe Kennedy “had pledged to faithfully love and support [Rose] and the children they might have together …. What he did not intend to do was give up being a ‘ladies man’.” And he did not.

Among rankings that include Canada, Australia, Japan and many European countries, the US is at or near the bottom in nine key areas of health: infant mortality and low birth weight; injuries and homicides; teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections; prevalence of HIV and AIDS; drug-related deaths; obesity and diabetes; heart disease; chronic lung disease; and disability.

Much of the data the Grandma Brigade collects is prosaic: records of campaign donations or voters who have recently died. But a few volunteers see free information everywhere. They browse the listings of names on Tea Party websites. They might add a record of what was said around the family Thanksgiving table — Uncle Mitch voted for Bachmann, cousin Alice supports gay marriage. hare In Minnesota, Democratic volunteers scour their local newspapers each morning for letters to the editor with a political slant. They pay attention to the names of callers on radio shows. They drive through th…